Friday, December 30, 2016

December 30, 2016 (UNIAN) Ukrainian
President Petro Poroshenko met with civil activists and summed up the results
of the Year of English in Ukraine, according to the president's press service.
The President emphasized that even though the Year of English was about to
complete, mass study of English in Ukraine will not be finished. He noted that
the process was only at the outset. With the support of the international NGOs,
complex programs and free-of-charge language courses have been established. They
will be continued next year, the press service reported.

The Head of State
noted that knowledge of English was extremely important, for it provided an
opportunity to study in prestigious foreign universities, get a prospective
job, read original world classic literature, travel freely, be aware of the
last news of science and technology, maintain "people to people
contact." The President is confident that knowing English opens new
horizons for everyone who want to be a part of the modern world. He called this
year's project Go Global very important, ambitious and successful. According to
Poroshenko, "it is aimed to change Ukraine, make it a real European state
for the majority, especially young generation, to have an opportunity to speak
English." "Knowing foreign language is a feature that opens new
universe for Ukrainians," Poroshenko said.

December 30, 2016 Ukrainian
Navy will be reinforced with three new «Kentavr» fast assault crafts designed
by the State Research & Design Shipbuilding Centre and produced by the
Leninska Kuznya (Kyiv). The fast assault craft «Kentavr» (Centaur) – is an
armored amphibious assault ship built for the Ukrainian Navy. It’s main mission
is a fast and secret delivery of marines or special forces, and fire-support of
landing operations. Weapons :

2 combat modules:

12.7
mm machine gun

40
mm grenade launcher (NATO standard)

As it was reported, on 6 December 2016 the Ukrainian Navy has
got two new artillery boats, built in Kyiv. The boats got names “Berdyansk” and
“Ackerman”.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

December 28, 2016 (UNIAN) The main Christmas
tree of Ukraine has lit the lights on the St. Sophia Square in Kyiv. The
ceremony was attended by First Lady Maryna Poroshenko and Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy
Klitschko, the mayor's press service reported. Christmas tree is
decorated with three kilometers of garlands, as well as 42,000 lanterns and
1,000 wooden toys, made by craftsmen from Lviv. Christmas town on the St.
Sophia Square will run from December 19 until January 15. The main events
will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and public holidays – St. Nicholas
Day, New Year, and Christmas. In general, 15 concert shows are to be held
during the celebrations. As in
the past year, the Christmas town will cover the St. Sophia and Mykhailivska
Squares, as well as Volodymyrskiy Passage Street, which connects them. The main
Christmas tree of Ukraine, the scene, a selfie platform, exhibition of toys,
made by children from all over Ukraine, are all placed at the St. Sophia Square.

Monday, December 26, 2016

December 26, 2016 (BBC News Europe) Some 3,000
people, including more than 100 divers, as well as ships, planes, helicopters
and submersibles are involved in the operation near Sochi. Some
fragments of the plane have been found, but initial reports that the fuselage
was sighted have been denied. The Tu-154 plane carrying soldiers, musicians and
reporters was heading for Syria. The flight had originated in Moscow and landed
in Sochi for refuelling. The plane disappeared from radar two minutes after
taking off from Sochi's Adler airport at 05:25 (02:25 GMT) on Sunday, heading
for Latakia in Syria, the defence ministry said. It was carrying 64 members of
the famed Alexandrov military music ensemble, who were to perform for Russian
troops in Syria.

The Tu-154 that crashed into the Black Sea is seen at a
military airport near Moscow in 2015

Emergency officials said initial
information suggested the fuselage was located 27m (89ft) below the surface and
1.7km (one mile) from the shore in the direction of the runway. So far only 11
bodies and 154 body parts have been recovered, but officials believe many more
may be trapped inside the remains of the aircraft. Search teams worked through
the night in three shifts, and the operation "did not stop for a
minute", defence ministry spokesman Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov said at a
briefing on Monday.

Tupolev-154: Russian workhorse

The
backbone of Soviet and Russian airlines for decades

Three
engines, narrow-bodied and medium range

Designed
in the mid-60s, came into service in 1972 and was modernised in 1986 with
new engines and equipment

Has
seen 39 fatal accidents, although few were due to technical problems. Many
were as a result of difficult weather conditions and poor air traffic
control. A few were lost in conflicts including in Lebanon, Georgia and
Afghanistan

Not
used in Russia's civil aviation since 2009, but is still used by the
military. Only about 50 in service worldwide

Sunday, December 25, 2016

December 25, 2016 (nuclear-news.net) The
Radical Party faction of the Ukrainian parliament is seeking to withdraw
Ukraine’s membership of the 1968 international treaty which bans the
development of nuclear weapons and keeps nuclear technology in check.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
recognizes only five nations as legitimate possessors of nuclear weapons:
China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. A handful of UN members are not
signatories to the treaty, including Pakistan and India, which were never part
of the NPT but have nuclear weapons of their own, and North Korea, which
withdrew in 2003 to develop a nuclear arsenal. Now Kiev may follow Pyongyang’s
example if the Radical Party faction in parliament has its way. The party’s leader,
Oleg Lyashko, has long called for the government to restore the country’s
nuclear capability, which Ukraine briefly possessed in the wake of the collapse
of the Soviet Union.

The number of nuclear warheads deployed on
Ukrainian territory by the USSR was only behind those possessed by Russia and
the US. But by 1996, all of them had been handed over to Russia, which was busy
dismantling a large portion of the costly Soviet nuclear stockpile. In 1994,
Ukraine was given security assurances by Russia, the US and the UK in the
so-called Budapest Memorandum in exchange for its accession to the NTP. Similar
documents were signed with Kazakhstan and Belarus, which were in a comparable
position. China and France gave milder commitments to Ukraine in separate
statements……..

Oleg Lyashko is a populist politician with a strongly
nationalist voter base, and is well known for his publicity stunts. His bill to
restore Ukraine’s nuclear status was registered in parliament Tuesday. A date
for a committee discussion on the issue is yet to be set. Ukraine’s ability to
actually produce a nuclear weapon remains in question. While numerous research
and production facilities based in what now is Ukraine were involved in
building the Soviet nuclear arsenal, the country’s current economic troubles
and technological backslide would make constructing even a simple nuclear
device a major challenge – even if the Ukrainian government does undertake such
a project.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

December 22, 2016 (AFP) Ukraine's
parliament on Wednesday approved an austerity federal budget for 2017 that
doubles minimum wages but keeps the deficit in line with the target set by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF). Lawmakers haggled over the bill into the
early morning hours before passing it with some reservations about the social
provisions it lacked.

The IMF is keen to see Ukraine keep
its deficit to within three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and reduce
Soviet-era subsidies that remain a big financial drain. The demands are part of
a $17.5-billion (16.8-billion-euro) rescue loan the IMF approved in 2015. Passing
the budget was an important requirement for the IMF to release another $1.3
billion tranche of that loan early next year. Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman
told lawmakers that key sectors would still receive the government's full
support.

"We will ensure spending on
defence and back the agrarian sector," the Interfax-Ukraine news agency
quoted Groysman as saying. Ukraine's military spending stands at a whopping
five percent of GDP because of the 31-month pro-Russian eastern separatist
insurgency the pro-Western country has been battling at the cost of nearly
10,000 lives.

One of the more controversial
provisions will see minimum monthly wages double from 1,600 to 3,200 hryvnias
($121). Ukraine remains one of Europe's poorest countries and was also ranked
as the continent's most corrupt by the European Court of Auditors this month. The
minimum wage increase and higher benefits to the lower paid were a consequence
of street protests in Kiev and populist lawmaker demands. But IMF economists
worry that the measure may ramp up inflation that has been tempered since
reaching more than 45 percent last year.

The Central Bank of Ukraine (NBU)
has been able to reduce the interest rate it charges lenders to borrow money to
14 percent because of the slowdown in the cost of living increases. The
spending plan envisions a deficit of 3.0 percent of GDP and puts total
expenditures at $30 billion - a paltry sum that compares to that of Los Angeles
County in the United States.

Some political analysts said
lawmakers' tradition of passing federal budgets after pulling allnighters was
detrimental for the country as a whole. "In that limited time, they have
no way of learning what is actually inside the draft. And some of them simply
sleep," political analyst Mykola Davydyuk told AFP. He also noted that
Ukraine allotted almost nothing to large infrastructure projects aiming to
reduce unemployment and fostering economic growth. The government's latest
projections see Ukraine's economy expanding by about one percent.

Monday, December 19, 2016

December 19, 2016 (UNIAN) Russian ambassador gunned down in Ankara, Russian agency says killed (Video)
The Russian ambassador to Ankara was shot in an attack at an art gallery in the
Turkish capital on Monday and the Russian RIA news agency said he had died of
his wounds, according to Reuters.

The Anadolu news agency said the
gunman had been "neutralized" soon after the attack, which appeared
to mark one of the most serious spillovers of the Syria conflict in Turkey. Relations
between Moscow and Ankara have long been fraught over the conflict, the two
supporting opposing sides, Reuters said. Ambassador Andrei Karlov made a speech
at the opening of a photographic exhibition. Hurriyet newspaper said Turkish
special forces had surrounded the building. NTV said three other people were
wounded.

A Reuters witness said that while gunfire rang out for some time after the attack, it had now stopped. A Hurriyet newspaper reporter said the attacker chanted Islamist slogans. Russia and Turkey have been involved in conflict in Syria across the border from where over two million Syrian refugees have settled. Turkey has been a staunch opponent of President Bashar al-Assad while Russia has deployed troops and its air force in support of the Syrian leader. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as Russian-backed Syrian forces have fought for control of the eastern part of the city of Aleppo, triggering a stream of refugees. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack. Islamic State militants have been active in Turkey and carried out several bomb attacks on Turkish targets. A photograph posted on twitter showed a man in a black suit holding a pistol, standing close to a podium in the gallery, its walls hung with pictures. Four people including what appeared to be the ambassador lay on the floor.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

December 14, 2016 (Associated Press) WARSAW,
Poland — The United States is deploying troops to Poland, the Baltic states and
Romania next month as part of raising the security of the region, Polish and
U.S. defense officials said Wednesday. Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz made
the announcement following talks with the commander of U.S. land troops in
Europe, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, in Zagan, western Poland.

An
Armored Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson, Colorado will be deployed there
early next month, while another U.S. force, a battalion, will be deployed April
1 to Orzysz, in the northeast. Macierewicz said he was "very happy that a
decision has been taken by the U.S. side for an earlier deployment." But the U.S. Army told The Associated Press
that the deployment was not accelerated and is taking place as had always been
scheduled. Hodges said the troops will arrive in the
German port of Bremerhaven on Jan. 6 and will be immediately deployed to
Poland, the Baltic states and Romania. Their transfer will be timed and treated
as a test of "how fast the force can move from port to field," he
said.

"I'm confident in the very powerful
signal, the message it will send (that) the United States, along with the rest
of NATO, is committed to deterrence," Hodges said. He said the armored brigade has already moved
out of its Colorado base and is loading on ships. "I'm excited about what my country is
doing and I'm excited about continuing to work with our ally, Poland,"
Hodges said. In a separate decision, the members of NATO at
a July summit in Warsaw approved the deployment of four multinational
battalions to Poland and the Baltic states to deter Russia. Germany will lead a
multinational battalion in Lithuania, with similar battalions to be led by the
United States in Poland, Britain in Estonia and Canada in Latvia.

Poland and the Baltic nations have been uneasy
about increased Russian military operations in the region, especially after
Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, and have requested U.S. and
NATO troops on their soil as a deterrent. The alliance and the U.S. insist the
troop presence is not aimed against anyone, but Russia has threatened measures
in response.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

December 17, 2016 (UNIAN) In a signal
to Moscow of U.S. and NATO resolve, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis M.
"Mike" Scaparrotti ended a two-day visit to Ukraine earlier on
Thursday in which he toured the combat positions of Ukrainian troops facing off
against a combined Russian and separatist force, according to Military.com. On
his second visit to Ukraine within three weeks, Scaparrotti, the dual-hatted
Supreme NATO commander and head of U.S. European Command, went to eastern
Ukraine, "where he visited Ukrainian military units involved in combat
operations with Russians and their proxy forces" along what is called the
"line of contact," EuCom said in a statement, Military.com reports.

Scaparrotti
also met with Ukrainian Minister of Defense Stepan Poltorak and Chief of the
General Staff Viktor Muzhenko on the continuing training of Ukrainian forces by
NATO and the supply of "non-lethal" aid by the U.S. The EuCom
statement said Scaparrotti's visit underlined the U.S. and allied commitment to
Ukraine's defense. "The United States continues to call for an immediate
end to Russia's occupation of Crimea and for Russia to cease its destabilizing
actions in Ukraine and honor its commitments in the Minsk agreements," it
states. The tour of the eastern combat zone came three weeks after
Scaparrotti's last visit to Ukraine, during which he met with U.S. troops of
the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine at the International
Peacekeeping and Security Center in Yavoriv, well away from the front lines. During
the November visit, Scaparrotti observed the training of Ukrainian forces by a
multinational group including troops from the U.S., Poland, Lithuania, Canada
and Britain. Scaparrotti's latest visit to Ukraine came on the same day that a
European Union meeting in Brussels agreed to extend sanctions on Russia for six
months over the takeover of Crimea and the intervention in eastern Ukraine. Russia's
annexation of Crimea in 2014 triggered the first round of sanctions.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

December 14, 2016 (Interfax-Ukraine) Amsterdam
District Administrative Court on Wednesday ruled that the Crimean museums
exhibits from the "Crimea - the golden island in the Black Sea"
collection (the so-called "Scythian gold") should be given back to
Ukraine, the Culture Ministry of Ukraine has reported.

"This is official! The
District Administrative Court of Amsterdam has just ruled to return the Crimean
museum exhibits from the "Crimea - the golden island in the Black
Sea" collection to the territory of Ukraine," the Culture Ministry
said in a statement on its Facebook page.

Media reported this ruling
doesn't mean the exhibits will be immediately returned to Ukraine. The judges
have ruled that the gold will stay in the Allard Pierson Museum for another
three months, the time when the opposite side may file an appeal.

As reported, the exhibition,
entitled "Crimea: the golden island in the Black Sea" at the Allard
Pierson Museum, was formed from the collections of five museums, one of them in
Kyiv and the other four in Crimea. Since the Netherlands have not recognized
Crimea's reunification with Russia, which took place after the exhibition
opened, a question arose as to who the collection should be returned to.

The ancient Scythian gold collection of items of the
"Crimea The Golden Island of the Black Sea" exhibition in 2014.

On September 10, 2014, the
Russian Culture Ministry said the Scythian gold items from Kyiv museums had
been returned to Kyiv, the items from Crimean museums remained in Holland after
the joint exhibition at the Amsterdam museum.

Kyiv insists that the items
"should be handed over directly to the Ukrainian state."

On December 7, the Kyiv Pechersky
District Court arrested the museum exhibits of the "Crimea - the golden
island in the Black Sea" exhibition, which are in the Allard Pierson
Museum (the Netherlands), submitted documents to Interpol to put the arrested
property on the international wanted list.

December 14, 2016 The historical events of
Hetman Ivan Mazepa's life have inspired many literary and musical works. The
narrative poem Mazeppa written by the English romantic poet Lord
Byron in 1819 probably is one of the most famous among them. It is based
on a popular legend about the early life of Ivan Mazepa (1639–1709),
a Ukrainian gentleman who later became Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks.
According to the poem, the young Mazeppa
has a love affair with a Countess Theresa while serving as a page at the Court
of King John II Casimir Vasa. Countess Theresa was married to a much older
Count. On discovering the affair, the Count punishes Mazeppa by tying him naked
to a wild horse and setting the horse loose. The bulk of the poem describes the
traumatic journey of the hero strapped to the horse. The poem has been praised
for its "vigor of style and its sharp realization of the feelings of
suffering and endurance".

The popularity of the poem among inhabitants of
the Northern America resulted in the appearance of many townships named after
Ukrainian Hetman. Among them are Mazeppa, Minnesota, Mazeppa, Pennsylvania,
Mazeppa, South Dakota, Mazeppa, Alberta (Canada). Mostly they were platted late
19th century. The national park Mazeppa that located in Central
Queensland, Australia, was also named after the Hero of poem Mazeppa.

Mazeppa, Minnesota was platted in 1855, and
named in honor of Hetman Ivan Mazepa via a poem by Lord Byron. The city was
incorporated in 1877. The picture of the main street of Mazeppa was taken by A.R.Hawkinson in 1919.

Monday, December 12, 2016

December 12, 2016 (armyrecognition.com) New tank truck based on the
KrAZ-5233BE off road chassis has been added to line-up of special vehicles
KrAZ, the Ukranian truck manufacturer. The vehicle is provided with 5 cu.m tank
used for carrying and storing water for drinking in the field. It’s no coincidence
that the KrAZ-5233 chassis has been chosen for fitting this equipment.

This is one of the best models in
terms of off road ability: this special vehicle will deliver drinking water to
any destination under any environmental conditions not unusual in military
bases and on the frontline. The vehicle owes its excellent off road ability to
wide tires with tire pressure adjustment system and powerful engine rated at
330hp, while reliability is owed to extremely strong chassis using side members
made of hot-rolled channel bars. It is also an ideal base for securing any
equipment. Insulated tank fitted onto KrAZ chassis has two compartments,
electrically controlled vacuum filling system, with fill-up time of 20-26
minutes for one compartment. Inner shell is made of stainless steel.

Ukrainian manufacturer KrAZ (located not far from Poltava) strives, particularly in these latter days, to meet the needs of military that
would like to have various special vehicles in their fleets for more efficient
performance of tasks. The company has taken into account experience of use of
these vehicles in ATO zone, including use of cab-behind- engine chassis, which
makes it possible to save lives of personnel in case of IED explosion under
wheel. “AutoKrAZ” plans to develop the lineup of military vehicle KrAZ to speed
up restoration of peace in our country, facilitate performance of duty for
Ukrainian military men and save lives of people.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

December 10, 2016 (BBC NEWS) While some changes
have been felt, many doubt the defence sector can be completely reformed. Viktor
Plakhuta couldn't take the corruption in Ukraine's defence sector any longer. A
former financial services worker, he was part of a wave of young, idealistic
Ukrainians who entered government after the country's 2014 pro-Western
revolution. He joined the department responsible for military procurement and
reform in the ministry of economic development and trade.

But after 10 months he resigned,
angry at what he said was widespread corruption and a lack of will to do
anything about it.

"In the department, I was
just carrying out tasks that fulfilled other people's personal interests and
corruption," he said.

According to him, defence
contracts were regularly inflated or given to insiders, and those who benefited
reached the highest levels of power. Yet the conflict with Russian-backed
separatists forces in the east has made Ukraine's military competence a vital
national issue. Now Mr Plakhuta and other reformers are focusing on the defence
industry. If they are right, and top officials are indeed illegally enriching
themselves from the war effort, it could seriously damage the credibility of
President Petro Poroshenko's government. All this comes at a time when Kyiv is
growing worried that US President-elect Donald Trump might abandon Ukraine in
favour of Russia, and the EU is struggling to bring an end to the
Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Training
with Grad rockets: Sporadic clashes continue between Ukraine's military and proRussian
rebels

Ukrainian officials say they are launching a
major reform of the defence industry, including a restructuring of Ukroboronprom,
the state-owned defence holding company. Some changes, especially in
equipment and supplies, have been felt. When the war began, Ukraine's army
barely existed; now it has fought the Russian-backed militants to a standstill.
But many doubt the defence sector can be completely reformed, given that the
law on state secrets will most likely stay in place for some time.

Kyiv has also been pushing hard
for the West to provide it weapons. But the potential for corruption has given
Western officials and arms companies serious second thoughts. "The system is rigged," said the
defence industry insider. The full article is available at

Saturday, December 10, 2016

December 10, 2016 (Kyiv Post) Ukrainians got a rare piece of good news on Dec. 8,
when the European Union announced it had reached agreement on the conditions
for suspending a visa-free regime with Ukraine – the last stage in the long
process of granting visa-free travel to the EU for Ukrainians.

The agreement was needed as a failsafe
mechanism, allowing the union to re-impose visa requirements for Ukrainians,
should certain conditions arise, such as a wave of unjustified asylum
applications, or a lack of cooperation by Kyiv on the return of illegal
migrants. The issue of migration is a particularly thorny one for the union at
the moment – for obvious reasons.

Ukraine long ago relaxed its own visa
requirements for citizens of most EU countries, in particular ahead of the UEFA
2012 Soccer Championship, which was held in Ukraine and Poland. Even before the
EuroMaidan Revolution of the winter of 2013-2014, Ukraine had been working to
achieve reciprocal visa conditions from the European Union, but those efforts
stalled when former President Viktor Yanukovych drew back from signing

Ukraine’s long-negotiated Association Agreement
with the EU, triggering massive street protests, and his own downfall three
months later.

The EuroMaidan Revolution started out as a mass
public protest against the Yanukovych regime’s reorientation away from Europe
towards Moscow, but they ended as a mass public rejection of corrupt government
and Putin-style authoritarianism, and an embracing of the values for which the
EU stands.

Free movement of people in a free market is one
of those values, and this Ukraine has now (mostly) achieved with its economic
treaty with the EU and the visa-free regime.

However, there is still much to do to bring
Ukraine into line with the rest of the values of the EU, with installing the
rule of law and an honest judicial system being top of the agenda. Nevertheless, obtaining a visa-free regime with
the EU is another step in the right direction for Ukraine, even though it has
been a long time in coming.

Friday, December 9, 2016

December 9, 2016 (UNIAN) The U.S. Congress has passed the consolidated
National Defense Authorizations Act, 2017, boosting U.S. security assistance to
Ukraine to US$ 350 million, according to a posting on the Facebook page of
Ukraine's Embassy in the United States. "U.S. Senate has finalized
consideration and following the House passed the consolidated National Defense
Authorizations Act, 2017," the posting said. "According to the bill,
from amounts authorized to be provided for security assistance to Ukraine,
including lethal assistance, up to $350 million shall be available for fiscal
year 2017, a $50 million increase from $300 million authorized in NDAA,
2016," it said. "The document is now headed for signing by the U.S.
President," the posting said. "We appreciate the bicameral and
bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress for Ukraine in our fight against the
ongoing Russian aggression," the Ukrainian Embassy said.

Ukraine security assistance and intelligence support has
been expanded to include equipment and technical assistance to the State Border
Guard Service of Ukraine for the purpose of developing a comprehensive border
surveillance network for Ukraine, as well as training for staff officers and
senior leadership of the military.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

December 6, 2016 (UNIAN)
Today the country is celebrating the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On this day, back in 1991, the Law of Ukraine “On the Armed Forces of
Ukraine” was adopted. The Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was established
with a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in 1993. Ukraine’s top
officials have greeted the Ukrainian troops on the occasion. President Petro
Poroshenko has congratulated the soldiers with the 25 anniversary of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine. "I thank everyone who protects Ukraine!" he wrote.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense
Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said that the Armed Forces Day is a holiday
of all Ukrainians who are proud of their defenders. "You chose a difficult
profession – a dangerous and most respected one. Thanks to your courage and
professionalism, the Ukrainian army has become one of the most efficient ones
in Europe. The job of a defender of the motherland has become one of the most
prestigious ones in our country. Every third citizen trusts our Armed Forces.
Brave and strong, you are the real descendants of the Zaporizhia
Cossacks," he said, stressing that people will always remember the men who
have died for their homeland.

Monday, December 5, 2016

December 5, 2016 (Interfax-Ukraine) The
construction of 150 meter high telecommunications tower was started near the
Chonhar checkpoint in the Kherson region on Friday for broadcasting Ukrainian
channels to the Crimean peninsula occupied by Russia.

"We have
already appealed to the Ukrainian State Centre of Radio Frequencies for their
conclusions in order to give start to at least four channels from this digital
broadcasting television tower. That is, the calculations of digital frequency
were ordered in order to provide digital broadcasting in the region and on the
territory of Crimea. We expect that there will be a local multiplex for at
least four channels," a member of the National Council on television and
radio broadcasting Serhiyy Kostynsky said. According to Kostynsky, the cost of
the television tower is UAH one million and its construction costs UAH 500,000.
It is planned that at least four Ukrainian TV channels in a digital format will
be broadcast on the territory of Kherson region and Crimea. The random choice
of TV stations for broadcasting will be determined on a competitive basis.

Friday, December 2, 2016

December 2, 2016 Chornobyl’s giant New Safe Confinement (NSC)
was moved over a distance of 327 metres from its assembly point to its final
resting place, completely enclosing aprevious makeshift shelter that was
hastily assembled immediately after the 1986 accident.

The Chornobyl arch is the largest moveable
land-based structure ever built, with a span of 257 metres, a length of 162
metres, a height of 108 metres and a total weight of 36,000 tonnes equipped. It
will make the accident site safe and with a lifetime of 100 years allow for the
eventual dismantling of the ageing makeshift shelter from 1986 and the
management of the radioactive waste.

The structure was built by Novarka, a
consortium of the French construction firms VINCI Construction and Bouygues
Construction. Works started in 2010. With a cost of €1.5 billion the giant
structure is the most prominent element of the Shelter Implementation Plan for
Chornobyl, which involved more than 300 projects and activities. The €2.1
billion programme is financed by the Chornobyl Shelter Fund. The EBRD manages
the Fund and is the largest contributor to the New Safe Confinement project.

December 1,
2016 (The Telegraph) Russia has put air defence units on alert and deployed
warships along the west coast of Crimea after the Ukrainian military fired
surface to air missiles over the Black Sea in a show of strength military that
has riled the Kremlin.

The
Ukrainian military fired 16 surface to air missiles in drills in its
Kherson region, which borders Crimea, as it kicked off a two-day military drill
on Thursday. The Russian government, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in
2014, has called the drills a “dangerous precedent” and initially threatened to
shoot down the missile.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

November 30, 2016 This
likable and fluffy cat by nickname Vaska (full name is Vasiliy) could be regarded as a warden of the
Poltava Battle Museum. Besides he strikes terror into a few mice that haven’t caught
yet in the building of the museum that is about 100 years old. As you can see,
even such a fierce weapon from the times of the Great Northern war like this bronze
three-pound gun doesn’t make any impression on him. He even allows to pat him but that can't be
guaranteed. As about me, he vouchsafed to let me take a pictire of him sitting on the top of the gun.

Today we celebrate the International Domestic Animal's Day, so I am delighted to congratulate Mr. Vasiliy on this holiday and wish all the best to him and to the museum he takes care.

November 30, 2016 Washington (CNN) US Marines are coming to
Norway -- a move that could send a chill down Russian President Vladimir
Putin's spine.

Beginning in January 2016, a limited rotational
force of approximately 330 Marines will be located in Vaernes, Norway,
according to a statement to CNN from the Norwegian Defense Ministry.

"The US initiative to augment their
training and exercises in Norway by locating a Marine Corps Rotational Force in
Norway is highly welcome and will have positive implications for our already
strong bilateral relationship," Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide
said in a statement.

"We enjoy a very close relationship with
the Norwegian Armed Forces and a limited rotational presence in Norway would
certainly enhance this relationship and our ability to operate together,"
Maj. Gen. Niel E. Nelson, commander of US Marine Corps Forces Europe and
Africa, said in a statement last week to CNN while the request was being
considered by Norway.

The statement noted that a Marine presence in
Norway -- which shares a 122-mile border with Russia -- "will increase
NATO's ability to rapidly aggregate and employ forces in northern Europe."

US Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicles
before a public demonstration in the Trondheim Fjord in Norway in January.

Tensions about Russia's posture in Europe have
increased following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, following Putin's
intervention in eastern Ukraine.The US and its NATO allies have since increased
their presence, as well as assistance to Poland and the countries on the Baltic
Sea. Earlier this year, members of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade trained
in Norway alongside troops from other NATO countries in Exercise Cold.

Friday, November 25, 2016

November 25, 2016 (Interfax-Ukraine New Agency)
A judge of Kyiv's Sviatoshynsky district court has rescheduled hearings with
the questioning via skype conferencing of former president Viktor Yanukovych as
a witness in a Maidan killing case. "Having consulted on the issue,
the court has decided to declare the hearing held in pursuance of a request for
international assistance as rescheduled for 13:00 Kyiv time (14:00 Moscow time)
on November 28, 2016," the judge said during a court session in Kyiv on
Friday.

Before the announcement of this decision in
Kyiv, a judge from a court in Rostov, where Yanukovych came to witness,
confirmed via video conferencing that the former Ukrainian president's video
questioning could take place on November 28. Yanukovych is a witness on
the case of former five Berkut riot policemen who are charged with killings of
Euromaidan activists.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

November 22, 2016 (Ukraine Today Weely Digest) Sweden
steps up its defense capabilities by bringing to Gotland island the Saab
Robotsystem 15 (RBS-15) anti-ship missiles. Sweden returns to service the old
Cold War era anti-ship defense system, reports The Local. It plans to install RBS-15
anti-ship missiles at Gotland island in the Baltic sea, located halfway between
Sweden and Latvia in the middle of the Baltic sea and could become a crucial
part of defense in the event of a possible conflict in the region.

To bring back the RBS-15
missiles, Sweden had to pull back Scania launch trucks out of museums. They
were upgraded with components from existing missile boats and warships. The Local cites Rear Admiral Thomas Engevall's
interview to Dagens Nyheter newspaper, where he said: "This decision is
national, but it is also a contribution by Sweden to the international defense capability
in the Baltic Sea after Russia's annexation of Crimea and the invasion of
Ukraine.....If you group together these kinds of systems on Gotland,
you can control quite a lot of territory in the mid-Baltic. I do not
think Sweden is a primary goal for Russia," he added. "But we would still be involved in any
conflict in the Baltic Sea area related to EU countries." The restored
system is now being tested on Sweden's east coast.

November 21, 2016 (UNIAN) Ukraine OSINT experts
present at NATO PA evidence of Russia’s military involvement in Donbas conflict
Ukrainian parliamentary delegation on Saturday, November 19, presented two
InformNapalm’s videos with the evidence of Russian military aggression against
Ukraine before members of NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey.

InformNapam volunteer intelligence community
has been gathering evidence of Russian aggression in Ukraine for over two
years, the organization’s website reports. Read also Putin awards medals
to active Russian military after their return from Donbas war – media Proving
the participation of Russian professional military in the war in Donbas is the
most important part of their work, the experts say. While Russian soldiers have
been cautious and carefully cover up their combat involvement, they still leave
traces, according to InformNapalm statement. The analysts sift through
different sources – websites, videos, social media posts – to find these traces
and present investigations to public. "So far we have identified
servicemen from 75 Russian military units sent to Ukraine on the orders of
their command," the report says. Lawmakers from NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted reports urging NATO
member-states "to stand firm in supporting Ukraine and maintain a strong
stance against Russian belligerence". The following video presents
InformNapalm’s major findings.

Monday, November 21, 2016

November 21, 2016 (UNAIN) U.S. President-elect
Donald Trump has moved to fill some of the top positions in his government by
selecting a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, a national security
adviser, and an attorney general, RFE/RL reports.

Trump said in a statement he had
chosen Representative Mike Pompeo (Republican-Kansas) to be CIA director,
retired General Michael Flynn for the post of national security adviser, and
Senator Jeff Sessions (Republican-Alabama) as the country's top prosecutor,
according to RFE/RL. The publication notes that Pompeo, who is currently
a member of the House Intelligence Committee is known in particular for
his statements in support of Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression. In
April 2014, Mike Pompeo visited Ukraine and then stated that the aim of Russian
President Vladimir Putin was to take control over Ukraine. He stressed:
"To the degree that we can demonstrate support for the Ukrainian
government, we can change Putin's calculus and increase the risk to him and to
Russia for moving combat forces closer to Kyiv." Pompeo and Sessions
require confirmation by a majority vote in the Senate; Flynn does not.

Pompeo is a member of the
Republican Party's conservative wing, the Tea Party, having been elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. He graduated top of his class from the
U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduated from Harvard Law School
before spending five years in the army. Trump said he was happy to have Flynn
by his side to "defeat radical Islamic terrorism."

Flynn, 57, served as the director
of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012 to 2014, a position he was
nominated for by President Barack Obama. He served in the military from 1981 to
2014, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, before retiring with the rank of
lieutenant general. Flynn graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General
Staff College as well as the Naval War College. He says he considers radical
Islam the greatest threat to global stability and has been critical of the
Obama administration's policies in fighting IS. Flynn has said Washington could
work with Russia to fight IS and other Islamic extremists. His appearance at a dinner in Moscow -- sitting
next to President Vladimir Putin -- honoring the state television station RT alarmed
many who noted his previous accommodating views of Russia's role in Ukraine. The
full article is available at: http://www.unian.info/world/1632557-trump-names-pro-ukraine-cia-director.html

Thursday, November 17, 2016

November 17, 2016 (www.president.gov.ua) On November 14, 2016, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko paid his
first official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden. The agenda included
meetings with Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven, Speaker of the
Riksdag Urban Ahlin and leader of the Moderate Party Anna Kinberg Batra.

In the course of the meeting with
the President of Ukraine, Prime Minister of Sweden S.Löfven recalled that the
EU has agreed on a firm response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and
the city of Sevastopol, and its aggression in Eastern Ukraine.

In the framework of the official visit to
Sweden, President Petro Poroshenko visited the State Archive of Sweden. The
Head of State examined the Latin version of the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk and
other documents of Ukrainian Cossacks stored in the State Archive of Sweden. The
document dated after 1710, and consists of 13 pages. “This is one of the first
Constitutions on the European continent and a symbol of the Cossack state and
democracy. It is very important for Ukrainians,” Petro Poroshenko said. The
State Archive of Sweden pays special attention to this historic document, which
is securely stored in a separate vault with steady moisture, temperature and
other conditions necessary for its preservation.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

November 16, 2016 Over the next five days, engineers at
Chernobyl, the Ukrainian site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, will be
moving an enormous roof over the still irradiated remains of the plant’s No 4 reactor.
Hopes are high that the new superstructure can contain radiation while Ukraine
works to deal with the nuclear waste within the exploded reactor. Bellona’s
executive director and nuclear physicist Nils Bøhmer, however, said the new
roof will not entirely remove radiation dangers from the area. Chernobyl’s
reactor No 4 exploded on April 26, 1986, and over the ensuing 10 days, its
nuclear fuel continued to burn, issuing clouds of poisonous radiation and
contaminating as much as three quarters of the European continent, hitting
northern Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, especially hard. Sweden was the first
country to report irregular radiation readings.The Chernobyl plant was
the suspected culprit, but Soviet officials remained mum.

Construction of the "sarcophagus" at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant,
Ukraine, following the explosion on April 26, 1986. UPI/INS

In the days following, 116,000 people were
evacuated while some 600,000 liquidators, comprised of police, fire fighters,
military and engineers, operated in chaotic and dangerous conditions, often
without protective gear, to implement a containment structure of cement and
steel to squelch emissions of radiation. The ad-hoc structure trapped 200 tons
of uranium, but many liquidators feared at the time that the cement barrier
would eventually give up. In 2005 it did.

This week, the New Safe
Confinement, a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion), 36,000 ton steel structure, will
slide into place with the goal of trapping that radiation for the next 100
years – by which point it is hope engineers will contain it for good. Financed
by donations of more than 40 countries coordinated by the European Bank of
Reconstruction and Development, the New Safe Confinement is the largest movable
land-based structure on earth, and will fully enclose the remains of Chernobyl’s
No 4 reactor.

A view of the New Safe Confinement structure. (Photo: Nils Bøhmer)

The arch structure is the largest moveable land-based structure
ever built, with a span of 257 meters, a length of 162 meters, and a height of
108 meters. That’s big enough to house London’s St. Paul’s cathedral or Paris’s
Notre Dame. The London-based EBRD calls it “one of the most ambitious projects
in the history of engineering”. The New Safe Confinement was constructed in a
clean area near No 4 reactor and will over the next week slide a little more
than 327 meters to seal off the unit, World Nuclear News reported. It’s hoped
to make the site safe to allow for eventual dismantling of the crumbling
concrete shelter, called the sarcophagus, currently covering the remains of the
reactor. It will also facilitate management of the waste within the structure,
the EBRD said.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

November 12, 2016 (AFP News) The United States
are will continue to increase their military presence in Europe according to
plan, independently from the future intentions of president-elect Donald Trump,
the U.S. Department of Defense announced. The statements of president-elect
Donald Trump during his campaign that as president, he would only defend allies,
who have met their financial obligations to NATO, were a cause of worry in
Europe. The U.S. is sending an armored brigade to Eastern Europe beginning
February 2017.With it, the number of American brigades on European soil
increases to three. A battalion-strength battle group to be sent to Poland will
also be led by the Americans. The aim is to reinforce the alliance’s eastern
flank, and Eastern Europe’s defenses for the case of a Russian attack.

Press spokesman for the Pentagon, Peter Cook,
said that the U.S. was putting the plan into practice as agreed with its
European NATO allies. About the upcoming change of the presidency, Cook said
that the military would leave policy to the next government. “We have one
commander-in-chief at a time,” Cook said. The new brigade will start its
operations with training exercises in Poland. After this, companies will be
sent to Bulgaria, Romania, and to the Baltic states. Trump, who during his
campaign praised Putin on a few occasions and criticized President Barack
Obama’s policy in matters concerning Moscow, has said that he wants to improve
relations with Russia. NATO decided at its Warsaw Summit last summer to send
battalions to Poland and the Baltic states. The battalion to be sent to Estonia
will be led by the British, the unit to be sent to Latvia led by the Canadians,
the Lithuanian battalion by Germany, and the one to be sent to Poland by the
United States.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

November 8, 2016 (The Telegraph) On April 26,
1986 was a tragic day in the history of the Soviet Union and the world at
large. On this day the accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. About
116,000 people were evacuated from a 1,600 square mile exclusion zone around
Chernobyl, on the border of Ukraine and Belarus. A huge area around the station
became the exclusion zone. Recently, scientists have launched a project that
aims to learn more about the fauna of this abandoned place. It turns out that
the presence of people affects wildlife much more than radiation, because in
the Chernobyl area found fauna, which were not observed more than a century.

The research results have drawn a wide response
among biologists. The study revealed that in the Chernobyl forests
significantly increased the number of wild boars, wolves, roe deer and foxes. In
addition, scientists found the rare animals, which for many years did not
appear in these places: European lynx and brown bear. Professor at the
University of Portsmouth Jim Smith claims that this accident has created a
certain reserve: “We are not saying that radiation is good. But the lack of
human impact has allowed the animal population to grow”.

Today’s pushy, headstrong Russia presents a
paradox: By most measures, it is a country in decline, with a sagging economy,
an underdeveloped technology base and a shrinking population. Corruption
pervades nearly every sector. The collapse of the Soviet Union is still an open
wound, and many Russians blame the United States for taking advantage of them
during their years of decline.

Yet this inwardly weak Russia displays the
cockiness of a street fighter. It is waging war in Syria, Ukraine and
cyberspace with a seeming disdain for U.S. power. According to Director of
National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., Russian hackers sought to
“interfere with the U.S. election process,” on authority of the highest levels
of the Russian government.

“Putin’s definition of risk-taking has evolved
in the direction of greater boldness and less attention to how it will affect
the U.S.,” argues Dimitri Simes, president of the Center for the National
Interest. “Putin thinks that American positive inducements are next to nonexistent,
and that the penalties are minimal, and will be imposed whatever he does.”

The next president must assess how to alter
Russian behavior without direct military confrontation. Is that best done by
cutting deals with Putin, as Donald Trump suggests? Or should it be a firmer
process of asserting U.S. power and interests, as Hillary Clinton has argued? This
may be the biggest national-security issue in the election. The full article is available at

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

November 1, 2016 (The Gardian) Two
years after angry Ukrainians deposed Viktor Yanukovych and broke into his vast,
opulent residential compound outside Kiev, revelations thrown up by a new
system that requires government officials to declare their wealth and property
online have led many to suspect the new elite are no better. The declarations,
which all officials were required to file by Sunday evening, have made public
many curiosities, including politicians who own multiple luxury watches, Fabergé
eggs and large collections of weapons. One politician declared that he owned a
personal church. By far the biggest shock, however, has been just how much
money Ukraine’s politicians seem to stash away in hard cash.

The Ukrainian prime minister,
Volodymyr Groysman.

Photograph: Eric Piermont/AFP/Getty Images

The prime minister, Volodymyr
Groysman, declared $1.2m (£980,000) and €460,000 (£410,000)in cash, as well as
a collection of luxury watches. Many other officials declared hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of cash. “Everyone is amazed that there is so much
cash in our country,” said Kristina Berdynskykh, an investigative journalist
who has written extensively on corruption among the elite. Mikhail Dobkin, an
opposition MP, declared 1,780 bottles of wine, while Roman Nasirov, the head of
the state fiscal service, declared that together, he and his wife owned Swiss
watches, diamonds, fur coats and held more than $2m in cash. Observers have
pointed out that when the head of the national bank keeps his savings in
dollars, it can hardly fill the population with confidence about the prospects
for the hryvnia, Ukraine’s national currency. Other curiosities found among the
declarations included a Nazi SS dagger and medieval religious icons. Anatoly
Matviyenko, the deputy leader of the presidential faction in parliament,
declared ownership of a church.

November 1, 2016 (The Guardian) Russia poses an increasing threat
to the stability of the UK and is using all the sophisticated tools at its
disposal to achieve its aims, the director general of MI5 has told the
Guardian. In the first newspaper interview given by an incumbent MI5 chief in
the service’s 107-year history, Andrew Parker said that at a time when much of
the focus was on Islamic extremism, covert action from other countries was a
growing danger. Most prominent was Russia.

Andrew Parker said Russia was “using its whole range of state organs and powers to push its foreign policy abroad in increasingly aggressive ways”. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA

“It is using its whole range of
state organs and powers to push its foreign policy abroad in increasingly
aggressive ways – involving propaganda, espionage, subversion and
cyber-attacks. Russia is at work across Europe and in the UK today. It is MI5’s
job to get in the way of that.”

Parker said Russia still had
plenty of intelligence officers on the ground in the UK, but what was different
now from the days of the cold war was the advent of cyberwarfare. Russian
targets include military secrets, industrial projects, economic information and
government and foreign policy.

Parker said he was talking to the
Guardian rather than any other newspaper despite the publication of the Snowden
files and a consistent scepticism about the need for extra powers for the
security services. “We recognise that in a changing world we have to change
too. We have a responsibility to talk about our work and explain it,” he said.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

With Russia
conducting an endless series of military exercises and doing nothing to
alleviate fears that it is poised to invade the Baltic States, the United
Kingdom has become the latest of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
nations to send troops and war materiel to help bolster the organization’s most
vulnerable members to try and avert a potential World War 3.

The Sun reported this week that the British
Ministry of Defence announced at NATO headquarters in Brussels that the United
Kingdom would be sending 800 troops to Estonia, the largest troop deployment to
the Russian border since the end of the Cold War. Along with the troops, the
British will also deploy tanks and drones.

The Baltic States — Estonia, Latvia, and
Lithuania — have been imploring its NATO allies to provide military assistance
to thwart a threatening Russia ever since the Russian Federation annexed
Crimea, militarily occupying the territory that was recognized as part of
Ukraine, in 2014. Military exercises being held just across the border have
only accentuated the fears, and the recent transfer of nuclear missiles to just
across the border from Lithuania seemed to make matters somewhat worse.

It also has not helped the Baltic State mindset
that, as has been recounted by the Inquisitr, think tanks like the Atlantic
Council have issued reports that have warned that a Russian invasion would
likely begin with a swift military sweep with “no warning time” through the
Baltic States and into neighboring Poland. And former NATO Supreme Allied
Commander Philip Breedlove warned in September that Russia’s military was more
than capable of overwhelming an inadequately defended Europe.

Given that the Baltic States were once
considered part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the
predecessor of the Russian Federation, there are present fears that a
re-militarized Russia might harbor dreams of re-assuming the boundaries of its
former empire.

“I am confirming details today of our
deployment as part of the forward presence in Estonia next year,” U.K. Defence
Secretary Michael Fallon stated, “a full sized British battalion with light
armour, Challenger 2 tanks, Warriors vehicles, French and Danish companies in
support. That deployment will begin next spring [May]”.

Fallon said that the United Kingdom was
“stepping up in NATO, beefing up the reassurance that we are able to offer. Although
we are leaving the European Union, we will be doing more to help secure the
eastern and southern flanks of NATO.”

October 29, 2016 (UNIAN) The Russian Federation
continues to prepare for a possible large-scale offensive against Ukraine,
which is to include massive airstrikes on the country's strategic facilities,
representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense
MinistryVadym Skibytskiy told a Kyiv briefing Friday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

"The Russian leadership does not give up
its aggressive plans for Ukraine, continuing to prepare for a possible
large-scale offensive against our country," he said. "On October 26,
using the obligations of the Republic of Belarus as an allied state, Russian
combat aircraft worked out possible massive air strikes on strategic targets on
the territory of Ukraine in the airspace of Belarus," Skibytskiy said.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

October 26, 2016 (UNIAN) Presidential adviser Yuriy
Biryukov published on Facebook photos of the new equipment for the troops of
the 79th Airborne Brigade. "Here’s the gear of paratroopers from the 79th
Brigade. New helmets, new night vision devices, new thermal imagers, new
automatic rifles ... almost all assault component of the brigade is already
provided with night vision devices and/or thermal imaging sights. And the whole
of the assault component is provided with new assault rifles with a tactical
underweight and collimator sights. It is about hundreds, many hundreds… AK-TK
automatic rifles, already upgraded, taking into account the previous design
flaws," Biryukov wrote. In addition, he has said the gear now includes new
Ukrainian-made paratrooper helmets purchased for money from public funds, with
Summer/Winter covers, with holds for night vision devices.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

October 25, 2016 (UATODAY)One of Israel's
leading media experts on military and defense issues Amos Harel in his article
for Haaretz analyzed Putin's gains and losses in Middle East.

Over the past few
weeks, Russia has finished beefing up its aerial defenses in northern Syria. The
Washington Post, after interviewing American experts, published a map last week
showing the estimated radius of coverage of Russia's S-300 and S-400 systems,
which are bolstered by anti-aircraft missiles on ships in the port of Tartus.
The 380-kilometer radius covers Lebanon, much of Turkey and Jordan, the eastern
Mediterranean until out beyond Cyprus, a bit of Iraq, and Israel all the way to
the northern Negev.

The paper said the Pentagon isn't sure whether,
if necessary, it could penetrate these aerial defense systems, since the
question hasn't yet arisen. Presumably, America has electronic warfare systems
capable of disrupting even dense anti-aircraft coverage. But the Post said
Russia's coverage limits Washington's ability not only to launch air strikes on
Syrian military targets, but also to create no-fly zones to protect civilians,
an idea both U.S. presidential candidates say they support.

Russia's beefed-up deployment also affects
Israel, which, according to foreign media reports, has launched numerous air
strikes on arms convoys from Syria to Hezbollah in recent years. Based on the
Washington Post's map, an Israeli plane couldn't take off from Tel Nof airbase
without being tagged by Russian radar.

The limitations aren't just military, but also
diplomatic. Israel and Russia have set up a mechanism to prevent clashes in
Syrian airspace, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with Russian
President Vladimir Putin four times over the last year to further that purpose.

Having no other choice, Netanyahu has nurtured
his Russian romance. But in reality, this romance is about as romantic as
Donald Trump's groping of women. It's a romance to which Israel was forced to
consent once the Russian bear decided to move into its backyard.

Russia apparently reinforced its aerial
defenses in response to American condemnations of its bombing of Aleppo, and
due to concern, apparently unwarranted, that the Obama administration might
actually take military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad. Though
Russia's economy is crumbling, Putin keeps pushing the envelope, including with
frequent hints about the danger of nuclear war, attempts to sabotage the U.S.
presidential election and surprising moves in the Mideast, like this month's
announcement that Russia and Egypt will hold a joint military exercise. The full
article is available at